FORMAT ARCHITECTURE & CREATIVE LEADERSHIP US + UK / GLOBAL AMBITION

IZZIE PICKIBARRA.

EXPLORE THE WORKSELECTED PROJECTS

Big entertainment is expensive.
And exposed.

Izzie Pick Ibarra
IZZIE PICK IBARRA

The person
behind the format.

Award-winning unscripted showrunner & executive producer.

From launching Dancing with the Stars to building The Masked Singer, developing the worlds audiences want to step into, infused with purpose, warmth and spectacle.

Extensive experience producing for network, cable, and streamers: ABC, Fox, BBC, Channel 4, CW, Oxygen, Bravo, Netflix, Amazon and Apple TV+.

READ THE BIO & FULL CV ↓

A bold idea.
An engine that
holds.

Formats do not fail because the idea was weak.

They fail because the engine cannot survive scale, talent, scrutiny or international rollout.

With 20 years operating at the highest level of US network television (alongside deep UK market experience), I design scalable, talent-first entertainment that works across territories and platforms.

My work sits at the intersection of celebrity, commercial exposure, global rollout, and creative ambition.

20YEARS AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL
OF US NETWORK TELEVISION
US + UKDEEP EXPERIENCE.
ACROSS BOTH MARKETS.
THE THROUGH LINE

Creative ambition.
Structural discipline.

02 / WHEN TO BRING ME IN

When the stakes
are high.

I am brought in when:

  1. A bold concept needs
    structural discipline.

  2. A format requires stress-testing
    before green-light.

  3. A UK format needs recalibrating
    for the US market, or vice versa.

  4. A creator-led or brand-funded project
    needs strong format architecture.

  5. A high-stakes launch cannot afford
    creative or operational drift.

Big swings.
Built to last.

01Dancing with
the StarsABC / SHOWRUNNER / SEASONS 1–4
BRIDGING THE
US + UK AT SCALE
BRIDGING THE US + UK AT SCALE

Rebuilding a UK format for US primetime required recalibrating tone, pace, casting and emotional access while protecting the core DNA.

The result was a breakout hit in season one and a durable primetime franchise.

FORMAT ADAPTATIONTALENTUS PRIMETIME
02The Masked
SingerFOX / SHOWRUNNER / SEASONS 1–3
HIGH-CONCEPT.
HIGH-STAKES.
THE MASKED SINGER / REEL / 00:59
BRIDGING THE US + UK AT SCALE

A high-concept US launch built around celebrity anonymity carried significant reputational and financial risk.

I built the narrative universe, refined the mechanics, aligned talent + stakeholders and led live execution.

The show scaled from high-risk adaptation to breakout hit in season one.

CELEBRITYFORMAT MECHANICSUS LAUNCH
03Strictly Come
DancingBBC ONE / SERIES PRODUCER / SERIES 1–2
DESIGNING ENGINES
THAT TRAVEL
DESIGNING ENGINES THAT TRAVEL

In the early seasons of a costly live format, I helped shape the foundational engine and audience world-building that enabled long-term global scalability.

LIVE ENTERTAINMENTWORLD-BUILDINGGLOBAL SCALE
04Ladies of
LondonBRAVO / BBC STUDIOS
COMMERCIALLY DURABLE
DOCU-FORMATS
CREATING COMMERCIALLY DURABLE DOCU-FORMATS

I created, sold, and showran the series.

I was brought back to recast, which led to a greenlight in 2026.

ORIGINAL IPCASTINGDOCU-FORMAT
05My Kind
of CountryAPPLE TV+ / EP & SHOWRUNNER / 2020–2023
MUSIC. STORY.
CULTURAL IMPACT.
My Kind of Country
SELECTED CREDIT

Led development and production of Apple TV+’s global music competition series, bringing together storytelling, competition, and cultural impact in a fresh, emotionally rich format.

MUSICCOMPETITIONGLOBAL TALENT
MY KIND OF COUNTRY / ARTIST FILMS

Meet the artists.

ALISHA / MY KIND OF COUNTRY
CHUCK / MY KIND OF COUNTRY
CONGO COWBOYS / MY KIND OF COUNTRY
DHRUV / MY KIND OF COUNTRY
06Savage X Fenty
Vol. 3AMAZON / EP & SHOWRUNNER / 2021
FASHION.
MUSIC. ENTERTAINMENT.
Savage X Fenty Vol. 3
SELECTED CREDIT

Blended music, fashion, and live entertainment into an innovative multi-platform event, redefining the intersection of brand, entertainment, and IP.

BRANDFASHIONLIVE ENTERTAINMENT
SAVAGE X FENTY / VOL. 3

The films.

TRAILER / SAVAGE X FENTY VOL. 3
GIGI HADID / SAVAGE X FENTY VOL. 3
JEREMY POPE / SAVAGE X FENTY VOL. 3
07A Little Help with
Carol BurnettNETFLIX / EP & SHOWRUNNER
COMEDY.
HUMAN CONNECTION.
NETFLIX / THE INTERVIEW SERIES ANNOUNCEMENT / 01:32
SELECTED CREDIT

Executive Producer and Showrunner of A Little Help with Carol Burnett for Netflix.

COMEDYTALENTSTREAMING
08Breaking
PointeTHE CW / EP & CREATOR
DOCU-FORMATS.
PERFORMANCE.
THE CW / BREAKING POINTE / 00:22
SELECTED CREDIT

Creator and Executive Producer of Breaking Pointe for The CW.

ORIGINAL IPDOCUMENTARYPERFORMANCE
09Lovetown,
USAOWN / EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
ENTERTAINMENT.
WITH HEART.
Lovetown, USA
SELECTED CREDIT

Executive Producer of Lovetown USA for OWN.

ORIGINAL FORMATSCOMMUNITYOWN

The work.
The whole picture.

Two decades creating and showrunning high-profile global entertainment formats across the US and UK.

EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP
  • NBCUniversalOverall Deal / 2015–2017
  • Ryan Seacrest ProductionsEVP, Unscripted / 2014
  • BBC WorldwideSVP, Programming & Development / 2010–2014
    VP, Programming & Development / 2007–2010
RECOGNITION

Emmy and Producers Guild nominations. Critics’ Choice, Hollywood Critics Association and Gracie recognition. GLAAD and Critics’ Choice nominations for My Kind of Country.

Earlier creative and development work also includes Skating with the Stars. Full credits and recognition are included in the PDFs.

WHERE THE
AUDIENCE IS.

Broadcast.Streamer.Digital-native.Creator-led.Branded.

If the audience is there,
the format must work there.

I am platform-agnostic and outcome-focused.

EXPANDING INTO DIGITAL-FIRST & CREATOR-LED FORMATS

Alongside broadcast and streamer work, I am actively building digital-first and creator-led formats, including large-scale projects for global brands such as Barbie, Bluey and Hellmann’s.

BarbieBlueyHellmann’s
05 / THE PRINCIPLE

Across all work, the principle is consistent.

Build the world.
Make the engine hold.

I build entertainment worlds audiences want to step into. I align talent and format so they elevate each other.

And I design engines that hold—whether live, streamed, digital-first, or event-driven.

Off screen.
On my mind.

VIEW ALL ON LINKEDIN ↗

Selected posts, with short summaries and links to the originals. New public posts are checked daily; LinkedIn’s public indexing may take time.